Navigating Life in 2025 with Ancient Wisdom

In this episode of Shobukai Shift, host Mary Schaub explores what it means to be a peaceful warrior in chaotic times, drawing on ancient Eastern philosophies—specifically Taoism and Buddhism—to navigate the overwhelming pace and uncertainty of modern life.

Mary opens with a personal story from her early twenties, when a rare moment of stillness during a busy New York summer sparked a deep encounter with Buddhist teachings. This experience planted the seeds for a lifelong exploration of presence, simplicity, and acceptance—principles she finds more relevant than ever in today's hyperconnected world. With humor, humility, and hard-won insight, she invites listeners to explore how ancient practices can help us live with more grace and alignment in 2025.

Key Takeaways

💡The clarity comes from stillness, from alignment, from presence.

💡Buddhism encourages embracing the here and now.

💡Wu Wei refers to effortless action.

💡Life is suffering. 

💡Pain and suffering are different.

💡You can avoid pain, but there's hope.

💡The purpose is for us all to help one another.

💡Growth arises through struggle.

💡It's not punishment. It's devotion.

 Compelling Quotes

🎤"Life is suffering. Spoiler alert."

🎤"Pain and suffering are different."

🎤"Growth arises through struggle."

🎤"You are the change you and the world are waiting for."

Links

🌟Ariane Grande "Thank you, Next"

🌟Sheldrick Trust - baby elephants!

Keywords

✅Taoism, ✅Buddhism, ✅Transformation, ✅ Mindfulness, ✅ Inner peace

✅ Change, ✅ Purpose, ✅ Wisdom, ✅ Peaceful warrior, ✅ Personal growth

#Taoism #Buddhism #Transformation #Mindfulness #WuWei #PeacefulWarrior #ChangeManagement #SpiritualGrowth #StillnessInChaos #ConsciousLeadership #PersonalEvolution #RamDass #PresenceOverPanic #BecomingYourself

Disclaimer:

***The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk. This Podcast should not be considered professional advice.***

Credits: Written, produced and hosted by: Mary Schaub. Theme song written by: Mary Schaub. Mixing Engineer: Dylan Yauch

Contact: Tell us how your transformation is going. Email us at Shobukai_Shift@mschaubadvisory.com or leave us a voicemail at ‪(631) 371-3240‬ and we may play it on a future episode.

Website: M. Schaub Advisory (MSA)

** Shobukai Shift is a MSA Production **

Chapters

• 0:00 Addicted to being busy
• 8:50 The Wisdom of Taoism
• 21:23 Buddhism's Modern Relevance
• 38:45 Applying Ancient Wisdom to Modern Life

Transcript

Mary Schaub (00:10)

Welcome to Shobakai Shift, a podcast about transformations that matter.

Here, we talk about how to navigate complex change so that we can find greater meaning and purpose in life. I'm your host, Mary Schaub, and after three decades orchestrating change for Fortune 500 companies, I'm now finding purpose in guiding fellow warriors like you on your path to authenticity. Today, we're stepping into the ancient and surprisingly modern wisdom of the East. We're talking about Taoism and Buddhism and what it means to be a peaceful warrior

in dangerous times. Because let's be real, the world is in flux. Change is everywhere, technological, social, political, and even spiritual. And in the midst of all this transformation, we need inner clarity more than ever. Spoiler alert, it's not the kind of clarity that comes from control or certainty. boy, do I sure wish it did.

I have all my spreadsheets and databases ready. No, actually, the clarity I'm talking about comes from stillness, from alignment, from presence. I know, I know, this sounds hokey, right? To granola and woo woo. Well, hold on a sec, hear me out. Some of these ancient philosophies have been around for over 2,500 years, okay? That's saying something.

If there was a store or an app that had been popular for over 2000 years, you'd give it a shot. mean, the United States is just shy of 250 years. So hang in and let's see where there might be some kernels of useful thinking for you to put in your transformation toolbox. So before we get into all that, I want to share how I came to learn about all of this stuff. Let's flash back to when I was 20.

I was hustling big time, working full time, attending NYU full time, finishing my bachelor's and commuting. I was living out in Ridgewood, Queens. I found this teeny tiny illegal basement studio for something like 350 bucks a month. It was in a three family home. And since it was illegal, the electricity was included and I wasn't supposed to use the laundry, but I did anyway.

until one of the other residents had an allergic reaction to the cat hair and I got caught. But anyway, I was hustling, as you can imagine. During the school year, I was constantly busy. In the summer, I continued to work full-time, but I didn't have classes. And most of my friends went home to wherever they lived or stayed in Manhattan. Like back then, people didn't really want to schlep out to the outer boroughs as much, especially Ridgewood, Queens.

So in the summer, on the weekends, I found myself in the unusual and unfamiliar territory of having nothing to do. Okay, so right now you're probably wondering why having nothing to do is a problem. For most 20-year-olds, this would have been awesome. And for a while, I did enjoy sleeping late, getting wasted, watching Star Trek Next Generation episodes.

But after a few weekends, my skin was crawling. Now remember, this was the nineties. So there's no binging Netflix, TikTok, doom scrolling in bed all day. I mean, yeah, we had TV and a VCR, but those things didn't lend themselves to hours and hours of dissociation the way today's digital tools do. I remember waking up one Saturday morning and actually wishing I had work. Just kind of pathetic.

I was so lost without having something I had to do. The constant hustling was giving me a welcome escape from my thoughts and feelings. And when it was taken away from me, I was panic stricken. Like literally feeling constant anxiety when I didn't have to be doing something. Productivity had become my drug and I knew that something was wrong. So being an introverted nerd,

which you probably figured out from that Koi Star Trek Next Generation reference. I went to the Ridgewood Library one Saturday morning And as I walked in, the first thing I see is a little display table near the front door and on it was a book on Buddhism, all just propped up on display. And I picked it up and I read the back cover.

And it said something to the effect of Buddhism encouraging, embracing the here and now, rather than constantly striving for something or retracting away from something. It emphasized the joy of normal experiences, of just being and seeing the beauty in the present moment. And I was like, wow, I felt like the book was placed there on that display just for me.

It couldn't have been a coincidence, right? You know, by the way, we should talk about coincidence on another show. There's some cool stuff in that too, but anyway, what are the odds that I'm struggling with the awkward discomfort of just being, just breathing and existing without having to be busy? And then I go to the library and I find a book displayed on being comfortable with just being. So,

The Eastern traditions kind of found me all those years ago and continue to play a really special role in my life even today. The wisdom of these ancient philosophies goes back 2,500 years, and yet I find them to be very relevant today. So let's go through some of them, and it's gonna be at a pretty high level. But let's see where some of this old wisdom might offer us some practical tools.

for dealing with being alive in 2025. Before I get into it, this is not about religion in the way we use that term broadly. There was a lot of debate, for example, as to whether Buddhism is a religion or a philosophy. And I'm not at all interested in that debate. In my mind, the world is full of wisdom available to each of us to excavate, sample, and test, however it makes sense.

to each of us. Alan Watts once said, irreverent commitment to any religion is not only intellectual suicide, it is positive unfaith because it closes the mind to any new vision of the world. Faith is, above all, openness, act of trust in the unknown. No considerate God would destroy the human mind.

by making it so rigid and unadaptable as to depend upon one book.

I love what Watts is saying here. I think labels are so restrictive and cut us off from opportunities to learn and grow. I imagine philosophical and religious thinking as spices in our mental and spiritual kitchen. You may label yourself as an Italian chef, but it doesn't mean you shouldn't be open to using turmeric or paprika. I mean, why not? I mean, someone literally came up with the idea for deep fried Oreos, so...

Okay, maybe I've taken the metaphor a bit too far.

I'm going to go through two Eastern traditions today and consider their applicability to dealing with life in 2025. First up, Taoism.

Taoism was founded by Lao Tzu. It originated somewhere around fourth through sixth century BCE. Today, there's about 12 million practitioners, primarily in China, especially Taiwan and Hong Kong. Now, this is like less than 1 % of the world population, right? But considering it's a few thousand years old, I think it's still pretty impressive. So Taoism has three main concepts. I'm going through this at a really high level.

First concept, Wu Wei. I have talked about this one on the podcast before. I love this one. And I'll be honest, it has helped me a ton, especially over the last few years And what does Wu Wei mean? It refers to effortless action. So think, go with the flow. Here, you're working in harmony with the natural, unforced flow of life in the universe.

And this flow, right, this life force is what Taoists call the Tao, the way. So a modern example of this, do you ever have like a micromanager boss, like, and they love to drive you and micromanage like everything, single thing that you and your colleagues do, like everything has to be done a very specific way. Maybe you even try to explain your point of view, but they're hell bent on pushing back and controlling everything.

This is not a boss who's receptive to other points of view or others' experiences. They just can't give up control and their inner beliefs to trust that maybe they don't have it all figured out. Another great example, this is a personal one. So some years ago, I was invited to a work colleague's wedding. She's in her mid-20s. She's probably someone you could call a brideszilla. You know what I'm talking about?

Like she had the binder and the details and you know, she was going to have the wedding of her dreams if it killed her and probably everyone else. So I remember watching her during this wedding. It was a destination wedding and I'm in the church waiting and you know how like you're waiting for like the bride to come down and here comes the bride and everyone's like kind of waiting and listening to the music and they had a harpist or something. It was very nice and very mellow. And we're waiting for the doors to open and the

the wedding march to come and her to make her grand entrance. But before that happens, she peeks into the door and starts to yell at the musicians. Like I guess they were playing the song wrong or something that she wanted anyway. Not a good look. And this behavior continued throughout the day and all the way through the reception. She's fighting with the caterers. She's irritated about the DJ. I mean, she was just fucking miserable.

And as a guest to the wedding, I mean, I never would have picked up on anything going wrong if I hadn't seen her being so bitchy about it. So planning these kinds of events, right? Weddings, corporate off-sites, vacation travel, know, all those kinds of things, you're gonna start with a plan and then you know what's gonna happen? Shit's gonna change. It might rain. A vendor might not show up.

There's too many lines at the museum you wanted to go to. Like Wu Wei is just saying, chill. It's good to have plans, but you can't control what ultimately happens. So if it rains on your wedding day or the restaurant you booked ran out of your favorite fish, embrace it. Try a different entree. And if it rains on your wedding, enjoy it. Who knows, maybe you'll end up with a

priceless wedding photo with a rainbow in the background. Wei is a big one for me personally and professionally. It was something I had to learn doing large scale change for big companies earlier in my career. You know, I'd have my team come up with a great plan or a design and then as things got going, inevitably the plan needed to change. In my experience, the plan always changes. And here's the thing.

It should. That's how you refine an idea into a great solution. You allow others input. You're open to things you couldn't have seen when you were designing the plan at the beginning. And you don't try to control everything so much. and if you need another modern example of Wu Wei, just check out Mel Robbins, right? Her let them method.

squarely rooted in this Taoist principle.

Next, Daoist concept is simplicity, which encourages spontaneity and leads to greater inner peace. Here in the US, we love complexity and we love choice. I had some friends visit from the UK some years ago and they went out shopping for the day and I think they wanted to go to CVS and Target, Homego's, right? And they get back and like they are just completely blown away.

The vastness of products is super stimulating, and by the way, it's meant to be. There's been a lot of research that suggests that while some choice is good, too much choice leads to decision paralysis, regret, and actually decreased satisfaction. Psychologist Barry Schwartz refers to this as the paradox of choice.

In the 2000s, there was a Columbia University study and they gave students an option of choosing essay topics. So one group was given six topics and the other group was given 30. The students given fewer choices were more satisfied, wrote better essays and were less likely to procrastinate. In individualistic capitalist cultures like the U.S., having in a

abundance of choice is equated with autonomy and happiness. But too many options increases pressure to make the perfect decision, which often leads to regret, FOMO, and people blaming themselves when outcomes aren't ideal. This is opposite to collectivist cultures, such as those in East Asia, where people actually find comfort and less stress, and having fewer choices

and in making shared decisions. Okay, last Taoist principle is a deep appreciation for nature and the balance of opposites. I love this one too. You might've heard yin yang. I've always enjoyed the outdoors and quote unquote nature, but it's really been the last five years and probably COVID related where I've...

really come to appreciate nature on a much deeper level. It's not just pretty sunsets and taking pics of waterfalls for Instagram. I actually have like a sense of energy and of life in the trees and the flowers and the birds. You know, someone sent me a funny meme that said like up until now I never even noticed birds and now I go outside and I'm like, that's a yellow warbler.

you start to notice some really cool shit when you start paying attention. And of course, the greatest lesson that nature gives us is understanding and frankly accepting change itself. Everything changes. I'm recording this episode in early May and here in New York, all the cherry trees are in bloom. Actually, they're just about to drop. The daffodils and forsythia have come and gone.

Bright yellow spots of color were around for the last couple of weeks, and now those are fading. This morning, seemingly overnight, tulips were up. It's beautiful. I love spring. And I also know that in six months, I'm going to be writing a show looking outside the window as all the trees change color and begin to drop their leaves. Life is constantly changing. Sometimes we really struggle to accept that.

We find it hard to accept that jobs change, relationships come and go, family members die, and our own reflection in the mirror changes, too. Taking notice of nature, and I mean really seeing it and accepting it on its own terms, is a form of meditation and practice on the acceptance of the inherent transformational nature of being alive.

Whoa, so that was a super high level overview of Taoism and some lovely concepts in there. I think they hold up, what do you think? I can tell you for me personally since COVID, I've been making an effort to appreciate and spend more time outdoors communing with nature. For me, it's a great balance to sitting in front of screens all day or running around the city. Recently, there's been a lot in the news about a likely recession on the horizon.

And we're all seeing increases in cost of goods. Everyone is talking about the price of eggs, for example. I know people are out there buying chickens as we speak. actually know somebody just bought some chickens. It's a difficult reality, right? But maybe in this difficult time, for example, there's an opportunity to scale back on our shopping, become less attached to material items and live more simply.

or buy used items from one another through online platforms And finally, there are a lot of big themes in the air right now that can evoke deep feelings of powerlessness. Here, think Wu-wei can be super helpful. And by the way, before you get all angry and indignant on me, I am not saying that we should embrace bad things. I'm not saying...

don't be an engaged member of society. Embracing Wu Wei isn't saying you don't care about things. It's not saying don't give to charity or volunteer or express your rights in peaceful ways where constructive. But let's be honest, neither of us are probably in a position to stop war and humanitarian crises around the world from a top-down perspective. But we are able

and in my opinion, accountable for showing up in the world as the best that we can be. Letting go of our need to control something we aren't able to do anything about isn't indifference, it's wisdom. And it also frees us up to focus on doing the work we can control, and that is the work on ourselves. So let me know what you think and if any of this resonates for you.

Next up is Buddhism.

Buddhism was founded by Siddhartha Gotama, also referred to as the Buddha, in India around fifth to sixth century BCE. It then moved to China, spread to Japan. Of note, Zen Buddhism, which was highly influential in samurai thought, emerged in China and took root in Japan around the 12th century CE.

Buddhism's main concepts are the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path.

They offer a framework for understanding suffering and overcoming it, or finding enlightenment. Very simply, the Four Noble Truths describe the nature of suffering, its cause, how to end it, and then the path to ending it.

The Eightfold Path on the other hand, well, that's more like a practical guide to achieving enlightenment through cultivating positive qualities and habits. So let's go through the Four Noble Truths at a really high level, okay? And again, this isn't a religion podcast, so we're focusing on how ancient wisdom might be helpful in coping in our complicated modern world. So stay with me. The first noble truth, you're gonna love this one.

Life is suffering. Spoiler alert, you hadn't figured that one out yet, have you? Yeah, that's literally how it starts. It starts with literally the very first point in Buddhism is this is going to hurt. Being alive, not gonna be all fun and games. No one promised you a rose garden. Why? Well, because of all that stuff I was just talking about, right? We're gonna lose loved ones.

We're gonna lose jobs. Friends are gonna come and go.

We're gonna age and our bodies are gonna start to function less capably. And eventually, yeah, we're gonna die. So bottom line, life is impermanent. Nothing stays the same. And this is emotionally distressing. I mean, how can it not be? How often do you allow yourself to think about this stuff? We don't, it hurts, it's scary. I mean, no one wants to think about that everything you love is gonna be taken away from you some point.

So the first noble truth is just accepting this reality right from the start and not being afraid of it is super powerful, everybody. I mean, it just is. It can't hurt you when you just accept it.

Now the second noble truth says, you're suffering because you haven't accepted the first noble truth. And we don't, right? That's why we're attached, we have cravings, we love to stay ignorant about things we don't wanna deal with. Now think about your first heartbreak. Everyone has one. Well, I'm assuming everyone has one. Maybe someone's out there as lucky didn't, but I remember mine.

Jeez, my God, I was so devastated, weepy and depressed. and I was trying to get him to reconsider for months. I was in pain because I lost the relationship. But, and here's the point of the second noble truth, I was suffering because I couldn't accept that I lost the relationship. Pain and suffering are different.

We can't stop pain from happening. That's just life. But we can stop suffering. That's what this is about. So the third noble truth, it says you can avoid pain, right? That's life. But there's hope. There is a possibility of eliminating suffering. And when you can learn how to do this, you will become what they call enlightened.

Back to my breakup, I couldn't control that he wanted to move on. And I couldn't control that I was hurt and in pain from losing him. But I could alleviate my suffering by accepting the loss and stop trying to hold on to him. With me so far? I mean, it's straightforward if you think about it. I mean,

How many people do you know who just talk about the same things that piss them off over and over and over again? As their friend, you can probably see this and you can see that they're like holding on to that.

You know what, you know what makes me think about this is that that Ariana Grande song, Thank You Next? Yeah, it seems like a cool modern spin on it. Okay, now finally, the fourth and last noble truth. It basically says, okay, you get all that? Great, now you can go and check out that eightfold path for some practical and specific ways of living that's gonna help you.

Let go of suffering. It's like an ad that says, click here for details on how to make these noble truths work practically for you.

So those are the Four Noble Truths. Very, very simple, not easy to do, Okay, so now we're gonna talk about the Eightfold Path. Again, this is like the practical instruction manual. And the first one, well, the first two are all about wisdom.

So the very first eightfold path item says, are you sure that you've accepted that life is pain? Like literally it's like, we get it, we get it. Yeah, but no, this is serious because we don't. We don't and we don't and we don't we don't want to accept it. So go back and really ponder this one. It's the nature of reality. You have to accept it. The next instruction is to cultivate positive and wholesome thoughts.

Yeah, I know you're not having them right now because you're focusing on all that stuff that sucks. So what do you focus on? What kinds of thoughts? Well, how about compassion, loving kindness, and a desire to renounce harmful behavior? And if you're saying to yourself, well, Mary, I already subscribed to those things. Am I a Buddhist? Well, do really though?

Are you rage posting on social media? Are you texting your friend at work snide comments about your jerky boss? How do you react when someone cuts you off in rush hour? Yeah, I thought so. So this practice is about being kind and compassionate all the time with everyone, even the jerks. It's very, very, very hard to do. The practice...

is to recognize when you wanna flip off the guy who cut you off or the kids who are holding the subway doors when you're already running late. I have one. You know the one that gets me really ragey when people don't use headphones on public transportation. my God, I just lose my shit. It's so inconsiderate. All right, so there you go. See, listen to me. Not enlightened, still working on it. All right.

The next three guidelines in the Eightfold Path refer to acting ethically. So, right speech. What does this mean? Well, speaking truthfully, kindly, and skillfully. So, no lying, no gossiping, harsh language. Oops. I don't know if that swearing is included in that, but certainly divisive speech is.

And we all know that there's a whole bunch of that going around right now. There's a cool modern phrase which captures this one. Maybe you've seen it. It instructs you that before you say something, you ask yourself, is it true? Is it kind? And is it necessary? These questions can be used to practice right speech. It emphasizes the importance of truth.

empathy, and relevance before sharing information. These questions can help ensure that words are used thoughtfully and positively, promoting constructive interactions. This one I learned later in my life. thought I was okay. I'm not a liar. I am a talker in case you haven't noticed. And I love to share things I've heard or learned for many years. I probably overshared as a mean to...

means to connect with people in my own way. You know, obviously telling truth, very obvious. I'm a terrible liar, so I don't lie. and even being kind, I think generally I subscribe to that one, except maybe if you're not wearing headphones on the train, then all bets are off, but

But it was the third one, the third one that got me Is it necessary? Is it necessary? Now this I hadn't considered before. Each one of us has a profound impact on the energy of those around us. And sometimes we can use our judgment to recognize when sharing information adds no value.

It's garbage you're unwittingly sharing with another person who then is burdened with it. Have you ever had this happen? Like, let's say you used to work at a company and you left on disappointing terms. Maybe you were fired. Then several months later, you meet up with an old work colleague for dinner and they tell you how they hired this really cool new person for your job and everyone loves them and they got promoted and they made the job higher paying and...

Everyone loves this person. How would you feel? Would you be happy that they told you this? Or maybe a friend says, I saw your ex and they're with this new really hot person and they're engaged. Like, what do you do with that? Why would someone tell you that? Do you need to know that?

Okay, moving on. Next item in our eightfold path is called right action. That one's pretty straightforward. It means living ethically and avoiding harmful behaviors like killing, stealing, sexual misconduct.

And the last guideline for acting ethically is called right livelihood. And this means earning a living in a way that is ethical and consistent with Buddhist principles. So for example, a Buddhist practitioner would not work in a field that exploits animals or the weapons industry or alcohol or drug trade, or even businesses that prioritize profit over ethical practices.

such as those that engage in unfair labor practices or environmental damage. Yeah, I know what you're thinking. That's a tough one right now, isn't it? Especially here in the US. Certainly narrows the employment field for Buddhists a fair bit. All right, moving on. There are three mental discipline practices for those following the Eightfold Path. And the first one is...

striving to develop positive states of mind and abandoning negative ones. This is called right effort. So no doom scrolling, catastrophizing, I love that one. Living in despair. Any of sound familiar? These are all negative mind states, right? I mean, doesn't it feel right now that we're all living that way, like the entire world, like we're all in a negative mind state?

Well, you gotta fight it. You gotta fight it. That's the practice. That's why it's a discipline, right? It literally is a discipline. You're in control of your own mind. It's not a wild animal living inside your head, but if you don't have mental discipline, your mind can act like it is. So you gotta fight those things. So don't go down a rabbit hole of really dark, depressing stuff online.

You have to be online, which I think is problematic in of itself. Like I've been following a great website, Sheldrick Trust. It's like an elephant sanctuary. And they have all these baby elephants right now. They must've had a baby boom. Have you ever seen a baby elephant? my God. Like you can't be sad or mad. They're just joyful. They're delightful. Go check it out. I'll put a link in the show notes. Check out some baby elephants right now. It'll make you feel better.

It'll get you off that feeling of despair, help you practice and break your habit to negative thoughts. All right, moving on. Next one, right mindfulness. So this one, means being aware of your body, your feeling, your thoughts and your mental states. Kind of relates to the one I just talked about, right? Do you even know you're in despair? Do you even recognize it or is it just sort of happening on autopilot? Well, right mindfulness is about paying attention

to your inner world. What happens when you lay down in bed with your phone and you start looking at social media? Or you sit down in the afternoon maybe to play a video game or two and next thing you know, several hours have gone by in a blink. Maybe you were so dissociated that you missed dinner, right? You know what I'm talking about? This is what bright mindfulness is trying to address. Using self-discipline to stay conscious, being fully emotionally present.

Being aware that the felt sense in your body is telling you something and even the emotions that are arising within you. These are important signals. These are truths you need to know. But sometimes we find ourselves so upset or shut down or pissed off and we just become detached from ourselves. We don't even know why we're in a bad mood. Mindfulness means being fully aware of your internal world.

And if you are in a bad mood and you want to break that negative state, well, you have a discipline for that. Okay. Last one of the eightfold path is right concentration. This one is about being disciplined with your external world. So we just covered your internal world, right? You're doom scrolling. not wanting to deal with all that stuff in your head or in your body. You're feeling bad, right? Right concentration is about developing

focused attention and concentration through meditation practices. So of course now, our modern age, meditation's become pretty mainstream. It's become like a product. And it's somewhat divorced from the spiritual traditions that we're discussing here, but you know, that's okay. As long as it's helping in some way, it's all good. People think meditation might be about chilling out, like getting a massage and drifting off to sleep.

But it's not, it's a tool. It's like jogging or lifting weights for your mind muscle. By developing it, you become more empowered to use your brain as a tool instead of letting your brain run the show. So when you say to yourself, well, I wanna do all these things, all this stuff sounds really good, but I can't stop worrying about the world or I'm hearing that there might be layoffs at work and I can't stop thinking about it. Well, you can, you can.

actually, and some things are practical like turning off the negative news or not participating in gossip with your co-workers about what's going on. But it's also about taking control of your mind and stopping it from ruminating about things you can't control. Okay, there you have it. We went through the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. The last thing I'll say about Buddhism

and where I think there's applicability to today is the Bodhisattva ideal. Without getting into it too much in Mayahana and Tibetan Buddhism, personal transformation is not just for individual enlightenment. It's also about being in service to everybody, to all sentient beings.

So on one hand, I may become a Buddhist practitioner to alleviate myself from suffering and become more enlightened. But most importantly, I do this so that I am better equipped to help other people escape their suffering. Right? You're not just here to get enlightened and bounce. The purpose is for us all to help one another wherever we may be on our path.

Some of us might be a little bit further down the road. Our purpose, as we learn more, is to become more helpful. Right? We don't leave anyone behind. Maya Angelou said, do your best, and when you know more, do better. I really do think this might be one of the most important concepts to apply to our current age. All right, that was a lot. That was a lot. Thanks for hanging in with me.

Modern applications of Buddhist philosophy can be found in mindfulness-based therapies, leadership models grounded in presence, and ethical frameworks that prioritize interdependence and compassion. The Buddhist perspective on transformation might be symbolized by the lotus flower. It grows through the mud, it emerges through murky water, and it blossoms clean in the sun. This reflects the belief that growth

arises through struggle. Buddhism has influenced art, psychology, and ethics across Asia and increasingly in the West.

The bodhisattva ideal of transforming oneself for the purpose of helping others resonates with contemporary views on service and purpose. I talk a lot about this in my coaching practice, Shav Advisory. Acts of service are really, really important step in transforming yourself and evolving your life to one of purpose and meaning. It's kind of interesting, isn't it?

how relatable these ancient concepts are to our current situation. What does it mean for us? Navigating modern chaos, personal upheaval, global uncertainty. Now, it doesn't mean you have to go to Thailand and join a monastery. And it doesn't mean that you have to convert from your beloved childhood religion or walk around with beads. I think all of this ancient wisdom

encourages us to become peaceful warriors. Not checked out or apathetic or depressed, negative, not hyper aggressive or constantly on and performing, but clear, grounded and awake. Being self aware to know, being self aware to know when to rest,

and when to act, when to let go, and when to take a stand. And it means practicing discipline, not as rigidity or withholding, right? It's not punishment. It's devotion, devotion to truth, to presence, to a deeper order beyond the chaos.

Are you using any Eastern philosophies or practices to cope with our crazy 2025 world? What's working for you? And what are you struggling with? Email me or another option, leave me a voicemail message with your answer and I'll read your answers on our next show. Contact details are in the show notes. Thanks for joining me. If this episode spoke to you, please share it with someone you care about. Until next time, remember,

You are the change you and the world are waiting for.